Disposition manager for resource recovery

ABSTRACT

A disposition manager configured to identify a damaged component of a damaged assembly by determining a measured first property value of a set of measured property values associated with the damaged component and obtained by a sensor is not within a range of acceptable first property values according to a specification of the damaged component. The disposition manager further configured to estimate a performance characteristic of the damaged component and a salvage value of the damaged component. The disposition manager further configured to present, to a user interface, the performance characteristic and the salvage value for the damaged component.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates to dispositioning damaged products, and,more specifically, to identifying recoverable portions of damagedproducts.

SUMMARY

Aspects of the present disclosure are directed to a method comprisingidentifying a damaged component of a damaged assembly by determining ameasured first property value of a set of measured property valuesassociated with the damaged component and obtained by a sensor is notwithin a range of acceptable first property values according to aspecification of the damaged component. The specification comprisesacceptable ranges of property values for respective properties for thedamaged component. The method further comprises estimating a performancecharacteristic of the damaged component based on the measured firstproperty value and the specification of the damaged component andestimating a salvage value of the damaged component based on the set ofmeasured property values and the performance characteristic. The methodfurther comprises presenting, to a user interface, the performancecharacteristic and the salvage value for the damaged component.

Further aspects of the present disclosure are directed to a systemcomprising a memory and a processor. The processor can be configured toperform a method comprising extracting a plurality of measured propertyvalues from a set of data about a first object received from a sensor.The plurality of measured property values including a measured firstproperty value. The processor can be configured to perform a methodfurther comprising classifying the first object as damaged based on themeasured first property value comprising an unacceptable first propertyvalue according to an acceptable range of first property values storedin a specification of the first object. The specification can compriseacceptable ranges of property values for respective properties for thefirst object. The processor can be configured to perform a methodfurther comprising estimating a performance characteristic of the firstobject based on the measured first property value and the specificationof the first object and estimating a salvage value of the first objectbased on the plurality of measured property values and the performancecharacteristic. The processor can be configured to perform a methodfurther comprising presenting, to a user interface, the performancecharacteristic and the salvage value of the first object.

Further aspects of the present disclosure are directed to a computerprogram product comprising a computer readable storage medium havingprogram instructions embodied therewith. The computer readable storagemedium is not a transitory signal per se. The program instructionsexecutable by a processor to cause the processor to perform a methodcomprising identifying a damaged component of a damaged assembly bydetermining a measured first property value of a set of measuredproperty values associated with the damaged component and obtained by asensor is not within a range of acceptable first property valuesaccording to a specification of the damaged component. The specificationcan comprise acceptable ranges of property values for respectiveproperties for the damaged component. The program instructionsexecutable by the processor can be further configured to perform amethod comprising estimating a performance characteristic of the damagedcomponent based on the measured first property value and thespecification of the damaged component and estimating a salvage value ofthe damaged component based on the set of measured property values andthe performance characteristic. The program instructions executable bythe processor can be further configured to perform a method furthercomprising presenting, to a user interface, the performancecharacteristic and the salvage value for the damaged component.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawings included in the present application are incorporated into,and form part of, the specification. They illustrate embodiments of thepresent disclosure and, along with the description, serve to explain theprinciples of the disclosure. The drawings are only illustrative ofcertain embodiments and do not limit the disclosure.

FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of a network that can implementaspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of a disposition manager inaccordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 illustrates a flowchart of an example method for dispositioning adamaged product in accordance with some embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 4 illustrates a flowchart of an example method for identifyingdamaged and undamaged components of a damaged product in accordance withsome embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 illustrates a flowchart of an example method for estimating aperformance characteristic of a damaged product in accordance with someembodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 illustrates a flowchart of an example method for estimating asalvage value of a damaged product in accordance with some embodimentsof the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 illustrates a flowchart of an example method for predicting acondition of a component of a damaged product in accordance with someembodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 illustrates a block diagram of an example user interface inaccordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

While the present disclosure is amenable to various modifications andalternative forms, specifics thereof have been shown by way of examplein the drawings and will be described in detail. It should beunderstood, however, that the intention is not to limit the presentdisclosure to the particular embodiments described. On the contrary, theintention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternativesfalling within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Aspects of the present disclosure are directed toward dispositioningdamaged products, and, more specifically, to identifying recoverableportions of damaged products.

Aspects of the present disclosure measure one or more property values ofa damaged product and compare the one or more measured property valuesto nominal property values and tolerances identified in a specificationfor the product. Based on the comparison between the measured propertyvalues and the nominal property values and tolerances, undamaged,reusable, recyclable, and unsalvageable portions of the damaged productcan be identified.

Aspects of the present disclosure provide numerous advantages. First,aspects of the present disclosure identify a damaged product, orportions thereof, according to a specification of the product. Thus,aspects of the present disclosure promote accurate damage identificationbased on objective measurements listed in an existing productspecification. Second, aspects of the present disclosure estimateperformance characteristics of a damaged product, or portions thereof.Thus, aspects of the present disclosure promote reuse of damagedproducts, or portions thereof, for similar or dissimilar functions basedon estimated performance metrics. Third, aspects of the presentdisclosure estimate a salvage value of a damaged product, or portionsthereof. Thus, aspects of the present disclosure promote resourcerecovery for non-functional components of a damaged product. Fourth,aspects of the present disclosure can collect data about a damagedproduct via photographs of the damaged product. Thus, aspects of thepresent disclosure are accessible to numerous users who can capture oneor more images of various damaged products.

The aforementioned advantages are example advantages, and embodiments ofthe present disclosure exist that contain none, some, or all of theaforementioned advantages. Furthermore, embodiments of the presentdisclosure exist which provide different advantages than the advantageslisted above.

Referring now to the figures, FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of anetwork in which some embodiments of the present disclosure can beimplemented. The network 100 communicatively couples device 102 anddisposition manager 106 to one another via a physical or wirelessconnection.

Device 102 collects data about a damaged product using one or moresensors 104. A damaged product can comprise an assembly (e.g., a cellphone, a bridge, a building, a vehicle, etc.), a sub-assembly (e.g.,internal electrical components of a cell phone such as battery,processor, gyroscope, accelerometer, etc., a truss of a bridge, a levelof a building, a frame of a vehicle, etc.), or an individual componentof an assembly (e.g., a battery of a cell phone, a beam of a bridge, ajoist of a building, an axle of a vehicle, etc.).

Device 102 can comprise, but is not limited to, a device that cancapture images (e.g., a camera, a video camera, a microscope, an x-raymachine, an x-ray computed tomography (CT) scanner, a radiographicmachine, etc.), a device that can determine dimensions (e.g., acoordinate measurement machine (CMM), etc.), a device that can determinestructural characteristics (e.g., a load cell configured to testtensile, compressive, flexural, or other properties, a strain sensormonitoring strain loads resulting from tensile loads, compressive loads,flexural loads, thermal loads, or other loads, a Vickers microhardnesstester, a Rockwell Hardness tester, a Brinell Hardness tester, arheometer, an ultrasonic test apparatus, an eddy-current test apparatus,etc.), a device that can determine thermal characteristics (e.g., aninfrared thermometer, a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), etc.),a device that can determine electrical characteristics (e.g., avoltmeter, a digital multimeter, a capacitance tester, a megohmeter, aninsulation tester, etc.), a device that can determine chemicalcharacteristics (e.g., a Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer, anatomic spectrometer, etc.), a device that can characterize compositionproperties of an object (e.g., a thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA), ascale, etc.), a device that can characterize dynamic properties of anobject (e.g., dynamic mechanical analyzer (DMA), a Thermal MechanicalAnalyzer (TMA), etc.), or a different device capable of collecting otherinformation about a damaged product, or portion thereof.

Device 102 contains at least one sensor 104 that is capable of measuringone or more property values of the damaged product, or portion thereof.Sensor 104 can collect data such as, but not limited to, image data,aesthetic data, dimensional data, structural data, electrical data,chemical data, thermal data, composition data, a combination of theaforementioned data, or different data.

Disposition manager 106 contains specification data 108 and interface110. Interface 110 can present output to a user and receive input from auser. Interface 110 is described in further detail hereinafter withrespect to FIG. 8.

Specification data 108 contains property data such as, but not limitedto, dimensional properties, structural properties, aesthetic properties,electrical properties, thermal properties, chemical properties,composition properties, or other properties of a damaged product. Eachproperty in the specification data can be associated with a tolerance. Atolerance can indicate a range of acceptable values for a givenproperty.

In some embodiments, specification data 108 comprises one or moreblueprints, dimensional drawings, and/or computer-aided design (CAD)models. In some embodiments, specification data includes materialinformation (e.g., material type, material properties, material cost,etc.), manufacturing information (e.g., manufacturing processes,manufacturing times, manufacturing costs, etc.), product information(e.g., quality inspection guidelines, performance properties, testresults, etc.), and/or other information.

Dimensional properties and tolerances can comprise geometricdimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T) properties such as, but not limitedto, lengths, widths, heights, diameters, radii, chamfers, angles,surface finishes, countersinks, counter-bores, thread designs, and soon. Tolerances can comprise tolerances associated with individualdimensions (e.g., tolerances associated with a length, width, diameter,angle, etc.) and/or tolerances related to straightness, flatness,circularity, cylindricity, circular runout, total runout,perpendicularity, angularity, parallelism, concentricity, maximummaterial conditions (MMC), least material conditions (LMC), and so on.

Structural properties and tolerances can comprise, but are not limitedto, strengths (e.g., tensile, compressive, flexural, shear, etc.),moduli (e.g., tensile, compressive, flexural, shear, etc.), hardnesses(microhardness, Rockwell hardness, Brinnell hardness, etc.), impactstrength, rheological properties, and other properties.

Aesthetic properties and tolerances can comprise, but are not limitedto, smoothness, continuity, color, luminance, reflectivity, flaws (e.g.,cracks, fractures, holes, scratches), corrosion, and other properties.

Electrical properties and tolerances can comprise, but are not limitedto, voltage, current, resistance, capacitance, power, lifespan (e.g., asmeasured by milliampere hours (mAh)), and other properties.

Thermal properties and tolerances can comprise, but are not limited to,temperature, glass transition temperature, melt temperature, thermalstability, crystallinity, and other properties.

Chemical properties and tolerances can comprise, but are not limited to,flammability, toxicity, radioactivity, chemical stability, and otherproperties.

Composition properties and tolerances can comprise, but are not limitedto, molecular weight, composition by weight fraction, composition byvolume fraction, moisture content, and other properties.

Disposition manager 106 compares the measured property values receivedfrom device 102 to the specification data 108 regarding the damagedproduct and dispositions the damaged product based on types andmagnitudes of differences between the measured property values and thenominal property values for the damaged product. In some embodiments,disposition manager 106 processes the data collected from device 102.For example, disposition manager 106 can process an image of a damagedproduct received from device 102 and generate measured dimensionalproperty values based on the image. Disposition manager 106 is describedin more detail hereinafter with respect to FIG. 2.

Referring now to FIG. 2, illustrated is a block diagram of a dispositionmanager 200 in accordance with some embodiments of the presentdisclosure. In some embodiments, the disposition manager 200 isconsistent with disposition manager 106 of FIG. 1. In some embodiments,disposition manager 200 performs operations in accordance with FIGS. 3-7as described in further detail hereinafter. The disposition manager 200can include a memory 225, storage 230, an interconnect (e.g., BUS) 220,one or more processors 205 (also referred to as CPUs 205 herein), an I/Odevice interface 210, I/O devices 212, and a network interface 215.

Each CPU 205 retrieves and executes programming instructions stored inthe memory 225 or storage 230. The interconnect 220 is used to movedata, such as programming instructions, between the CPUs 205, I/O deviceinterface 210, storage 230, network interface 215, and memory 225. Theinterconnect 220 can be implemented using one or more busses. The CPUs205 can be a single CPU, multiple CPUs, or a single CPU having multipleprocessing cores in various embodiments. In some embodiments, aprocessor 205 can be a digital signal processor (DSP). Memory 225 isgenerally included to be representative of a random access memory (e.g.,static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM),or Flash). The storage 230 is generally included to be representative ofa non-volatile memory, such as a hard disk drive, solid state device(SSD), removable memory cards, optical storage, or flash memory devices.In an alternative embodiment, the storage 230 can be replaced by storagearea-network (SAN) devices, the cloud, or other devices connected to thedisposition manager 200 via the I/O devices 210 or a communicationnetwork 250 via the network interface 215.

In some embodiments, the memory 225 stores instructions 260 and thestorage 230 stores specification data 232, product data 240, andtraining data 244. However, in various embodiments, the instructions260, the specification data 232, the product data 240, and the trainingdata 244 are stored partially in memory 225 and partially in storage230, or they are stored entirely in memory 225 or entirely in storage230, or they are accessed over a network 250 via the network interface215.

Storage 230 contains specification data 232, product data 240, andtraining data 244. In some embodiments, specification data 232 isconsistent with specification data 108 of FIG. 1. Specification data cancomprise, but is not limited to, aesthetic data, dimensional data,structural data, electrical data, chemical data, thermal data, materialdata, cost data, lifespan data, statistical data, risk data, and otherdata related to the product. Specification data 232 can include nominalproperties 234 and property tolerances 236. Nominal properties 234indicate an ideal property value. Property tolerances 236 represent anacceptable deviation from the nominal property 234. Nominal properties234 and property tolerances 236 can refer to, but are not limited to,dimensional properties and tolerances, structural properties andtolerances, aesthetic properties and tolerances, electrical propertiesand tolerances, thermal properties and tolerances, chemical propertiesand tolerances, composition properties and tolerances, and/or otherproperties and tolerances.

Product data 240 can comprise measured property values 242. Measuredproperty values 242 can be received from I/O devices 212 or via network250. In some embodiments, measured property values 242 are measured by asensor in a device (e.g., sensor 104 in device 102 of FIG. 1)communicatively coupled to the distribution manager 200 via network 250.In some embodiments, measured property values 242 are derived from datareceived from I/O devices 212 or from network 250. For example, themeasured property values 242 can be dimensions derived from one or moreimages received from the I/O devices 212 or network 250 based on a knowndimension contained within the one or more received images.

Training data 244 comprises a repository of historical informationrelated to a respective product associated with the specification data232. Training data 244 can comprise, but is not limited to, measuredproperty values of a plurality of units of the respective product, orportions thereof, conditions of the plurality of units of the respectiveproduct, or portions thereof, images of the plurality of units of therespective product, or portions thereof, and other data. Respectiveimages of respective units can be annotated with respective conditionsbased on user input where the user has domain knowledge of the damagedproduct. Likewise, respective measured property values of respectiveunits, or portions thereof, can be annotated with respective conditionsbased on user input where the user has domain knowledge of the damagedproduct. Thus, training data 244 can be used by disposition manager 200to develop correlations between respective conditions and respectivecombinations of measured property values based on the historical dataprovided for the plurality of units of the respective product, orportion thereof. Training data 244 is described in further detailhereinafter with respect to FIG. 7.

The instructions 260 store processor executable instructions for variousmethods such as the methods shown and described hereinafter with respectto FIGS. 3-7. The instructions can include evaluation instructions 262,estimation instructions 264, and training instruction 266.

Evaluation instructions 262 store processor executable instructions foridentifying damaged, undamaged, reusable, recyclable, and/orunsalvageable components of a damaged product. Evaluation instructions262 are discussed in greater detail hereinafter with respect to FIGS. 3and 4.

Estimation instructions 264 store processor executable instructions forestimating one or more performance characteristics and a salvage valueof a damaged product or portion thereof. Estimation instructions 264 aredescribed in further detail hereinafter with respect to FIGS. 3, 5, and6.

Training instructions 266 store processor executable instructions fortraining disposition manager 200 to predict a condition of a damagedproduct, or portion thereof, based on training data 244. Traininginstructions 266 are described in further detail hereinafter withrespect to FIG. 7.

In various embodiments, the I/O devices 212 can include an interfacecapable of presenting information and receiving input. For example, I/Odevices 212 can receive input from a user and present information to auser interacting with disposition manager 200 and/or a device (e.g.,device 102 of FIG. 1).

In some embodiments, the network 250 is consistent with network 100 ofFIG. 1. The network 250 can connect (via a physical or wirelessconnection) the disposition manager 200 with a device (e.g., device 102of FIG. 1) that measures property values of a damaged product.

Referring now to FIG. 3, illustrated is an example flowchart fordispositioning a damaged product in accordance with some embodiments ofthe present disclosure. In some embodiments, the method 300 can beexecuted by one or more processors executing a set of instructions(e.g., processors 205 executing evaluation instructions 262 andestimation instructions 264 as shown and described in FIG. 2). In someembodiments, the method 300 can be executed by a disposition managerfunctioning in a network (e.g., disposition manager 106 connected tonetwork 100 as shown and described in FIG. 1).

The method 300 can begin in operation 310 by extracting at least onemeasured property value from data collected from a damaged product.Damaged product data can be obtained by a sensor (e.g., sensor 104 indevice 102 of FIG. 1). Operation 310 can, for example, extractdimensional property values from image data of a damaged product,extract engineering property values (e.g., stress and strain) from loadtesting data from a damaged product, and so on. Property values caninclude, but are not limited to, dimensional properties, structuralproperties, electrical properties, chemical properties, thermalproperties, composition properties, and/or aesthetic properties.Measured property values can be stored in a storage (e.g., measuredproperty values 242 in storage 230 of FIG. 2).

Operation 320 can identify at least one undamaged component of a damagedproduct. Operation 320 can identify an undamaged component of a damagedproduct based on all the measured property values being within atolerance of a nominal property value identified in a specification ofthe product (e.g., measured property values 242 compared to nominalproperties 234 and property tolerances 236 contained in specificationdata 232 of FIG. 2). Operation 320 is described in further detailhereinafter with respect to FIG. 4.

Operation 330 can identify at least one damaged component of a damagedproduct. Operation 330 can identify a damaged component of a damagedproduct based on at least one measured property value being unacceptablebased on a tolerance of a nominal property value identified in thespecification of the product (e.g., a measured property value 242outside of a property tolerance 236 for a nominal property value 234contained in specification data 232). Operation 330 is described infurther detail hereinafter with respect to FIG. 4.

Operation 340 can estimate at least one performance characteristic forat least one component of the damaged product. Operation 340 canestimate at least one performance characteristic based on measuredproperty values, nominal property values, property tolerances,specification data, and/or training data (e.g., measured property values242, nominal properties 234, property tolerances 236, specification data232, and/or training data 244 of FIG. 2). Example performancecharacteristics include, but are not limited to, a percentage of anominal property value, a modified load rating, a lifespan, a safetyrisk, a probability of failure, and so on. Operation 340 is described infurther detail hereinafter with respect to FIG. 5.

Operation 350 can estimate a salvage value of one or more damagedcomponents of the damaged product. Operation 350 can estimate a salvagevalue based on measured property values, nominal property values,property tolerances, specification data, and/or training data (e.g.,measured property values 242, nominal properties 234, propertytolerances 236, specification data 232, and/or training data 244 of FIG.2). For example, an estimated salvage value can be based on an amount ofrecyclable material in a damaged component and a value of the recyclablematerial. Operation 350 is described in further detail hereinafter withrespect to FIG. 6.

Operation 360 can present the results of any of the operations 310-350to a user interface. In some embodiments, operation 360 presents one ormore of a condition, an estimated performance characteristic, and asalvage value for each component of the damaged product. Operation 360is described in further detail hereinafter with respect to FIG. 8.

Following is a non-limiting example of the method 300 applied to adamaged cell phone. Multiple photographs of the damaged cell phone canbe taken including a first photograph of the outside of the cell phoneshowing a cracked cell phone cover and a second photograph of the insideof the cell phone showing a battery and other electrical components.Operation 310 can extract aesthetic property measurements anddimensional property measurements of the damaged cell phone based on thefirst and second photographs. Operation 320 can identify the battery isphysically undamaged based on the measured dimensional property valuesbeing within the nominal dimensional values and tolerances and themeasured aesthetic property values of the battery being within thenominal aesthetic property values and tolerances of the batteryaccording to the specification data of the battery. Operation 330 canidentify the cell phone case is damaged based on measured aestheticproperty values failing to meet the nominal aesthetic property valuesand tolerances stored in the specification data for the cell phonecover. Operation 340 can estimate performance characteristics such as anestimated battery life of the battery, an estimated flexural strength ofthe damaged cell phone cover, and/or other performance characteristics.Operation 350 can estimate a salvage value based on reusing, recycling,or disposing various portions of the damaged cell phone. Operation 360can present the results to a user interface. The previous example ismade for illustrative purposes and is not intended to limit the presentdisclosure.

Referring now to FIG. 4, illustrated is an example flowchart foridentifying damaged and undamaged components of a product in accordancewith some embodiments of the present disclosure. The method 400 can beapplied to an assembly and/or multiple components within an assembly. Insome embodiments, the method 400 can be executed by one or moreprocessors executing a set of instructions (e.g., processors 205executing evaluation instructions 262 as shown and described in FIG. 2).In some embodiments, the method 400 can be executed by a dispositionmanager functioning in a network (e.g., disposition manager 106connected to network 100 as shown and described in FIG. 1). In someembodiments, the method 400 is a sub-method of operation 320 and/oroperation 330 of FIG. 3.

The method 400 can start at operation 410 and compare measured propertyvalues for a selected component to corresponding nominal property valuesand nominal property value tolerances for the selected component (e.g.,measured property values 242, nominal properties 234 and propertytolerances 236 of FIG. 2). Operation 420 can determine if each measuredproperty value is within the tolerance range of the correspondingnominal property value. In the event at least one measured propertyvalue is not within the tolerance of the corresponding nominal propertyvalue, the method 400 proceeds to operation 430 and classifies theselected component as “damaged”.

In some embodiments, the method 400 proceeds to operation 432 anddetermines if the component is functional. A damaged component canremain functional if it is safe and practical to use for its originalpurpose or a similar purpose. Operation 432 can determine if thecomponent remains functional based on the type of out-of-toleranceproperty and the magnitude of the difference between theout-of-tolerance property value and the nominal property value. In someembodiments, operation 432 can determine if the component remainsfunctional based on a performance characteristic (e.g. a performancecharacteristic estimated in operation 340 and further describedhereinafter with respect to FIG. 5). In some embodiments, operation 432determines if a component is functional according to a model based on aset of training data (as described hereinafter with respect to FIG. 7).

If operation 432 determines the component is functional, operation 434classifies the component as “reusable”. If operation 432 determines thecomponent is not functional, the method 400 proceeds to operation 436.Operation 436 determines if the component is recyclable. A recyclablecomponent can be re-processed into a useful product. Operation 436 candetermine if a component is recyclable based on material informationcontained in specification data of the damaged component (e.g.,specification data 232 of FIG. 2). In some embodiments, operation 436determines if a component is recyclable according to a model based on aset of training data (as described hereinafter with respect to FIG. 7).If operation 436 determines the component is recyclable, then operation438 classifies the component as “recyclable”. If operation 436determines the component is not recyclable, then operation 440classifies the component as “unsalvageable”.

Referring again to operation 420, in the event each measured propertyvalue is within the tolerance of the corresponding nominal propertyvalue, the method 400 proceeds to operation 450 and classifies theselected component as “undamaged”.

Following is a non-limiting example of the method 400 applied to adamaged vehicle wheel. A vehicle wheel can be associated with numerousdimensional property values and tolerances, aesthetic property valuesand tolerances, and other property values and tolerances. Operation 410can compare a measured diameter of the wheel (e.g., based onmeasurements extracted from a photograph, or measurements calculated bya CMM) to the corresponding diameter and tolerance listed in thespecification of the wheel. Operation 410 can further compare anidentified scratch on a sealing surface of the wheel to aestheticproperties and tolerances related to sealing surface scratches.Operation 420 can determine that not all measured property values arewithin the specified tolerance of respective nominal property valuesbased on the identified scratch being outside the aesthetic propertyvalue and tolerance for scratches on the sealing surface of the wheel(e.g., scratches shall not be wider than 0.010″ or longer than 1.000″).Operation 430 can classify the wheel as “damaged” based on thedetermination made in operation 420. In some embodiments, the method 400further determines the wheel remains functional in operation 432 andfurther classifies the wheel as “reusable” in operation 434 based on thetype of out-of-tolerance property and the magnitude of the differencebetween the measured property value and the nominal property value andtolerance. The previous example is made for illustrative purposes and isnot intended to limit the present disclosure.

Referring now to FIG. 5, illustrated is an example flowchart forestimating a performance characteristic of a product, or portionthereof, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.In some embodiments, the method 500 can be executed by one or moreprocessors executing a set of instructions (e.g., processors 205executing estimation instructions 264 as shown and described in FIG. 2).In some embodiments, the method 500 can be executed by a dispositionmanager functioning in a network (e.g., disposition manager 106connected to network 100 as shown and described in FIG. 1). In someembodiments, the method 500 is a sub-method of operation 340 of FIG. 3.

The method 500 begins at operation 510 by retrieving specification datarelated to the damaged product or portion thereof (e.g., specificationdata 232 of FIG. 2). Specification data can comprise, but is not limitedto, aesthetic data, dimensional data, structural data, electrical data,chemical data, thermal data, material data, cost data, lifespan data,statistical data, risk data, and other data related to the product.

Operation 520 retrieves measured property values related to the damagedproduct or portion thereof (e.g., measured property values 242 of FIG.2). Operation 530 estimates a performance characteristic for theproduct, or portion thereof, based on the measured property values andthe specification data. A performance characteristic can comprise acharacteristic derived from the specification data and one or moremeasured property values of the damaged product or portion thereof.

As a first example, a performance characteristic can comprise apercentage of an original property value. In such an example, theperformance characteristic can be calculated in operation 530 bydividing a measured property value retrieved in operation 520 by anominal property value retrieved in operation 510. For example, aperformance characteristic for a battery of a damaged cell phone cancomprise a percentage calculated by dividing a measured battery life ofa damaged battery of a cell phone by a nominal battery life listed in aspecification for the battery. The previous example is made forillustrative purposes and is not intended to limit the presentdisclosure.

As a second example, a performance characteristic can comprise anupdated property value for a damaged product such as a maximum load. Forexample, a support beam on a bridge could be partially fractured andretain an estimated 10% of its original flexural strength based oninformation retrieved from operations 510 and 520. An updated maximumload property value of the bridge can be estimated in operation 530 bycalculating the effect of the partially fractured beam on the loadcapacity of the bridge based on calculations retrieved from thespecification data for the bridge in operation 510. Operation 530 canestimate multiple maximum load values based on various tolerancestack-ups in the bridge assembly. The previous example is made forillustrative purposes and is not intended to limit the presentdisclosure.

As a third example, a performance characteristic can comprise anestimated lifespan. For example, a vehicle frame can be corroding due torust. Non-destructive test data can be collected at repeated intervalsin operation 520. Operation 530 can estimate a rate of corrosion basedon the data collected in operation 520. Operation 530 can furtherestimate the time until the vehicle frame will be unable to support anominal load capacity as retrieved from specification data in operation510. The previous example is made for illustrative purposes and is notintended to limit the present disclosure.

Operation 540 outputs the estimated performance characteristic.Operation 540 can comprise presenting the estimated performancecharacteristic on a user interface and/or temporarily or permanentlystoring the estimated performance characteristic in a non-transitorycomputer readable storage medium.

Referring now to FIG. 6, illustrated is an example flowchart forestimating a salvage value of a damaged product, or portion thereof, inaccordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. In someembodiments, the method 600 can be executed by one or more processorsexecuting a set of instructions (e.g., processors 205 executingestimation instructions 264 as shown and described in FIG. 2). In someembodiments, the method 600 can be executed by a disposition managerfunctioning in a network (e.g., disposition manager 106 connected tonetwork 100 as shown and described in FIG. 1). In some embodiments, themethod 600 is a sub-method of operation 350 of FIG. 3.

The method 600 begins at operation 610 by selecting a component of thedamaged product. Operation 620 determines if the component is damaged.Operation 620 can determine if a component is damaged based ondeterminations made in operations 320 and 330 of FIG. 3.

In the event the component is damaged, the method 600 proceeds tooperation 630 and determines if the component is still functional.Operation 630 can use one or more estimated performance characteristicsfrom operation 340 to determine if the component is still functional.Operation 630 can also use a type of out-of-tolerance measured propertyvalue and a magnitude of a difference between the out-of-tolerancemeasured property value and the nominal property value to determine ifthe component is still functional.

If the component is still functional, the method 600 proceeds tooperation 640 and determines a value of the refurbished component. Thevalue of the refurbished component can be based on one or more of anoriginal value of the component, a model number of the component, a time(e.g., a time of use, a time between original release of the modelnumber and the current time, etc.), a difference between one or moremeasured property values and one or more nominal property values relatedto the component, one or more performance characteristics of thecomponent, a cost associated with repairing and/or refurbishing thecomponent, one or more inputs by a user, and/or other variables. Themethod 600 can then proceed to operation 670 (described hereinafter).

In the event operation 630 determines the component is not functional,the method 600 proceeds to operation 650 and determines a value of theraw material. Operation 650 can determine a value of the raw materialbased on a volume and/or weight of the raw material and a recycle valueof the raw material. The method 600 can then proceed to operation 670(described hereinafter).

Referring back to operation 620, in the event the component is notdamaged, the method 600 proceeds to operation 660 and determines a valueof the undamaged component. The value of the undamaged component can bebased on one or more of an original value of the component, a modelnumber of the component, a time (e.g., a time of use, a time betweenoriginal release of the model number and the current time, etc.), adifference between one or more measured property values and one or morenominal property values of the component (e.g., where a measuredproperty value is within tolerance but nonetheless deviates from anominal property value), one or more performance characteristics of thecomponent, one or more inputs by a user, and/or other variables. Themethod 600 can then proceed to operation 670.

Operation 670 determines if there are additional components requiring anestimated salvage value. In the event there are additional componentsrequiring an estimated salvage value, the method 600 returns tooperation 610 and selects a new component. In the event there are noadditional components requiring an estimated salvage value, the method600 proceeds to operation 680 and outputs the results. Operation 680 cancomprise presenting the results on a user interface, and/or temporarilyor permanently storing the results in a non-transitory computer readablestorage medium. Operation 680 can output a salvage value of the damagedproduct (i.e., the assembly) and/or the salvage value of one or moreindividual components of the damaged product according to variousembodiments.

As a non-limiting example of the method 600, consider a damaged cellphone. Operation 610 selects a cell phone cover from the damaged cellphone. Operation 620 determines if the cell phone cover is damaged. Ifthe cell phone cover is not damaged, operation 660 determines a re-salevalue of the cell phone cover based on the undamaged condition (e.g.,re-sale value to a cell phone user or a cell phone manufacturingfacility). If operation 620 determines the cell phone cover is damaged,operation 630 determines if the component is functional. For instance, acell phone cover can have a numerous scratches yet remain functional. Insuch a case, operation 640 determines a value of the refurbishedcomponent. In an alternative instance, operation 630 can determine thecell phone cover is non-functional (e.g., broken) and proceed tooperation 650. Operation 650 can determine the value of the raw materialof the of the broken cell phone cover in the event the material can berecycled and/or reprocessed. For example, the cell phone cover can bemade of a thermoplastic polymer which can be recovered, compounded, andre-molded. Operation 650 can determine, based on information containedin the specification data of the cell phone cover (e.g., specificationdata 232 of FIG. 2), a volume of the cell phone cover (e.g., based on aCAD model of the cell phone cover), a density of the thermoplasticcompound contained in the cell phone cover, and a recycle value per unitweight associated with the thermoplastic compound contained in the cellphone cover. Operation 650 can multiply the volume of the cell phonecover by the density of the thermoplastic compound by the recycle valueper unit weight of the thermoplastic compound to generate a salvagevalue of the non-functional cell phone cover that is part of the damagedcell phone. The previous example is made for illustrative purposes andis not intended to limit the present disclosure.

Referring now to FIG. 7, illustrated is an example flowchart forestimating a condition of a damaged product, or portion thereof, inaccordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. In someembodiments, the method 700 can be executed by one or more processorsexecuting a set of instructions (e.g., processors 205 executing traininginstructions 266 as shown and described in FIG. 2). In some embodiments,the method 700 can be executed by a disposition manager functioning in anetwork (e.g., disposition manager 106 connected to network 100 as shownand described in FIG. 1).

The method 700 begins by collecting training data in operation 710.Training data can comprise measured property values, images, and/oruser-input annotations related to respective units of a product. In someembodiments, the training data collected in operation 710 is consistentwith training data 244 of FIG. 2.

In operation 720, the method 700 generates a model correlatingrespective annotated conditions to respective measured property valuesand/or respective image characteristics for respective units of theproduct. Annotated conditions can comprise, but are not limited to:“damaged”, “undamaged”, “reusable”, “recyclable”, and “unsalvageable”.In some embodiments, the conditions “reusable”, “recyclable”, and“unsalvageable” are sub-conditions of the condition “damaged”. Theaforementioned conditions are example conditions and other conditionscan be used (e.g., a scale of 1-10, etc.).

As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art, the model generatedin operation 720 can correlate multiple property values to a variety ofconditions using techniques known in the art such as, but not limitedto, linear regression, multiple regression, analysis of variance(ANOVA), multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), principalcomponents analysis (PCA), factor analysis, correspondence analysis(CA), clustering, and multivariate statistical analysis techniques.

In operation 730, the method 700 estimates a condition of a damagedproduct, or portion thereof, based on the model generated in operation720 and further based on measured property values and/or imagescollected from the damaged product, or portion thereof. In someembodiments, operation 730 further estimates an uncertainty (e.g.,confidence, error, etc.) of the estimated condition based on limitationsof the model generated in operation 720.

In operation 740, the method 700 outputs the estimated condition, and,in some embodiments, the estimated uncertainty. In some embodiments,operation 740 outputs the information to a user interface. In someembodiments, operation 740 outputs the information to a non-transitorycomputer readable storage medium.

As a non-limiting example of the method 700, consider bridgeinspections. Operation 710 can collect a repository of photographs,radiographic images, ultrasonic images, and/or eddy current test (ECT)results for respective bridges and respective conditions of therespective bridges as documented by a bridge inspector. Operation 720can generate a model using the collected training data. For example, themodel could automatically assign a condition of “damaged” to any bridgewith a load rating above a first threshold and having at least twosequential ECT disruptions above a second threshold (e.g., indicating acrack in a weld) based on 94% of instances of sequential ECT disruptionsabove the second threshold for bridges with load ratings above the firstthreshold in the training data resulting in a “damaged” condition forthe bridge. The model could further indicate a level of uncertaintyassociated with the estimated “damaged” condition (e.g., indicate that94% of data agrees with the estimated condition). The previous exampleis made for illustrative purposes and is not intended to limit thepresent disclosure.

Referring now to FIG. 8, illustrated is an example user interfacepresenting output from a disposition manager in accordance with someembodiments of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, FIG. 8illustrates an example user interface output by, for example,disposition manager 106 of FIG. 1 and/or disposition manager 200 of FIG.2. In some embodiments, user interface 800 is generated based onexecution of instructions 260 of FIG. 2 according to any one or more ofthe flowcharts illustrated in FIGS. 3-7.

User interface 800 can indicate a plurality of serial numbers 802 whereeach serial number uniquely identifies a product and/or one or morecomponents of a product. Serial numbers 802 can be user defined orautomatically generated. Although serial numbers 802 shown in userinterface 800 comprise sequential numbers (e.g., 1, 2, to N, where Nrepresents a positive integer), serial numbers 802 can comprise anyalphanumeric or graphic identifier.

User interface 800 can further comprise a condition 804 for each serialnumber 802. Conditions 804 can be based on output from operations 320 or330 of FIG. 3, the method 400 of FIG. 4, or the method 700 of FIG. 7.Condition 804 can comprise conditions such as, but not limited to:“damaged”, “undamaged”, “reusable”, “recyclable”, “unsalvageable”, orother conditions.

User interface 800 can further comprise an estimated performancecharacteristic 806 for each serial number 802. Estimated performancecharacteristics 806 can be based on output from operation 340 of FIG. 3and/or output from the method 500 of FIG. 5.

User interface 800 can further comprise an estimated salvage value 808for each serial number 802. Estimated salvage values 808 can be based onoutput from operation 350 of FIG. 3 and/or output from the method 600 ofFIG. 6.

User interface 800 can further comprise comments 810 for each serialnumber 802. Comments 810 can be populated based on user input.

Any of the serial number 802, condition 804, estimated performancecharacteristic 806, and estimated salvage value 808 can be overriddenand populated with a new value based on user input.

As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art, the user interface800 can include more, fewer, and/or different outputs than the outputsshown.

The present invention may be a system, a method, and/or a computerprogram product at any possible technical detail level of integration.The computer program product may include a computer readable storagemedium (or media) having computer readable program instructions thereonfor causing a processor to carry out aspects of the present invention.

The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible device that canretain and store instructions for use by an instruction executiondevice. The computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but isnot limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device,an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, asemiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of theforegoing. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of thecomputer readable storage medium includes the following: a portablecomputer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), aread-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROMor Flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), a portablecompact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD),a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such aspunch-cards or raised structures in a groove having instructionsrecorded thereon, and any suitable combination of the foregoing. Acomputer readable storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construedas being transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freelypropagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagatingthrough a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g., light pulsespassing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical signals transmittedthrough a wire.

Computer readable program instructions described herein can bedownloaded to respective computing/processing devices from a computerreadable storage medium or to an external computer or external storagedevice via a network, for example, the Internet, a local area network, awide area network and/or a wireless network. The network may comprisecopper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wirelesstransmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers and/oredge servers. A network adapter card or network interface in eachcomputing/processing device receives computer readable programinstructions from the network and forwards the computer readable programinstructions for storage in a computer readable storage medium withinthe respective computing/processing device.

Computer readable program instructions for carrying out operations ofthe present invention may be assembler instructions,instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions,machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions,state-setting data, configuration data for integrated circuitry, oreither source code or object code written in any combination of one ormore programming languages, including an object oriented programminglanguage such as Smalltalk, C++, or the like, and procedural programminglanguages, such as the “C” programming language or similar programminglanguages. The computer readable program instructions may executeentirely on the user's computer, partly on the user's computer, as astand-alone software package, partly on the user's computer and partlyon a remote computer or entirely on the remote computer or server. Inthe latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user'scomputer through any type of network, including a local area network(LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to anexternal computer (for example, through the Internet using an InternetService Provider). In some embodiments, electronic circuitry including,for example, programmable logic circuitry, field-programmable gatearrays (FPGA), or programmable logic arrays (PLA) may execute thecomputer readable program instructions by utilizing state information ofthe computer readable program instructions to personalize the electroniccircuitry, in order to perform aspects of the present invention.

Aspects of the present invention are described herein with reference toflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus(systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of theinvention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in theflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented bycomputer readable program instructions.

These computer readable program instructions may be provided to aprocessor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, orother programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, suchthat the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computeror other programmable data processing apparatus, create means forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks. These computer readable program instructionsmay also be stored in a computer readable storage medium that can directa computer, a programmable data processing apparatus, and/or otherdevices to function in a particular manner, such that the computerreadable storage medium having instructions stored therein comprises anarticle of manufacture including instructions which implement aspects ofthe function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram blockor blocks.

The computer readable program instructions may also be loaded onto acomputer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other deviceto cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer,other programmable apparatus or other device to produce a computerimplemented process, such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer, other programmable apparatus, or other device implement thefunctions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block orblocks.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods, and computer program products according to variousembodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in theflowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portionof instructions, which comprises one or more executable instructions forimplementing the specified logical function(s). In some alternativeimplementations, the functions noted in the blocks may occur out of theorder noted in the Figures. For example, two blocks shown in successionmay, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks maysometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon thefunctionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of theblock diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocksin the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implementedby special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specifiedfunctions or acts or carry out combinations of special purpose hardwareand computer instructions.

Embodiments of the present invention may also be delivered as part of aservice engagement with a client corporation, nonprofit organization,government entity, internal organizational structure, or the like. Theseembodiments may include configuring a computer system to perform, anddeploying software, hardware, and web services that implement, some orall of the methods described herein. These embodiments may also includeanalyzing the client's operations, creating recommendations responsiveto the analysis, building systems that implement portions of therecommendations, integrating the systems into existing processes andinfrastructure, metering use of the systems, allocating expenses tousers of the systems, and billing, invoicing, or otherwise receivingpayment for use of the systems.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method comprising:extracting a set of data corresponding to a cell phone, wherein the cellphone comprises at least a first component and a second component, andwherein the set of data comprises dimensional data of the firstcomponent measured by a coordinate measuring machine (CMM) and imagedata of the second component obtained from at least one photograph ofthe cell phone; classifying the first component as damaged based on thedimensional data of the first component comprising unacceptabledimensions according to an acceptable range of dimensions stored in aspecification of the first component, wherein the specificationcomprises a computer-aided design (CAD) model of the first component,material data of the first component, and at least a nominal modulus anda nominal strength of the first component; classifying the secondcomponent as undamaged based on the image data of the second componentcomprising acceptable image data according to a model, wherein the modelis generated based on training data associated with the secondcomponent; wherein the training data comprises respective image data andrespective conditions for a plurality of respective components that havea similar function as the second component; wherein the respective imagedata and the respective conditions comprise image data of at least onecomponent associated with an undamaged condition, image data of at leastone component associated with a damaged condition, image data of atleast one component associated with a reusable condition, image data ofat least one component associated with a recyclable condition, and imagedata of at least one component associated with an unsalvageablecondition; wherein the model generated based on the training datacorrelates the respective conditions to the respective image data;determining a re-sale value of the second component based on classifyingthe second component as undamaged; estimating a performancecharacteristic of the first component based on an updated property valueof the first component, wherein the updated property value comprises amodulus of the first component and a strength of the first component,wherein the modulus and the strength are based on the dimensional dataof the first component and the material data of the first component,wherein the performance characteristic comprises a percentage determinedby dividing the updated property value by a nominal property valuestored in the specification of the first component; estimating a salvagevalue of the first component in response to determining that a materialof the first component is a recyclable thermoplastic material based onthe specification of the first component, wherein the salvage value ofthe first component is based on an amount of recyclable material in thefirst component and a value of the recyclable material, wherein theamount of recyclable material in the first component is retrieved fromthe CAD model; and presenting, to a user interface, an indication thatthe first component is damaged, the performance characteristic of thefirst component, and the salvage value of the first component, andpresenting an indication that the second component is undamaged and there-sale value of the second component.